Asian shares hit a 16-month high on Wednesday, led by surging Chinese equities on hopes for stable growth, but concerns over whether U.S. lawmakers can break a budget impasse before year-end to avert a possible economic slump kept optimism in check.

SHANGHAI, Nov 6- The yuan closed two points weaker on Tuesday thanks to a last minute bout of dollar buying, but otherwise hugged the strong side of its trading band over the course of the day. The People's Bank of China set its midpoint at 6.3078 p er dollar on Tuesday morning, slightly firmer than Monday's fix, despite a strengthening trend in the dollar index.

*PBOC sets weaker midpoint for third day. SHANGHAI, Nov 5- The yuan closed down slightly on Monday but its weakness was largely imposed by the central bank, which fixed a softer midpoint even as customers continued to unload dollars.

*PBOC sets weaker midpoint for third day. SHANGHAI, Nov 5- China's central bank set the yuan midpoint weaker for the third consecutive trading day on Monday, but customers continued to unload dollars, causing the spot rate to repeatedly bump into the limit of its trading band.

The near term is always always uncertain,'' Christian Murck, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and independent director of J.P. Morgan Chase Ltd, told Reuters. A lighter regulatory touch on bond writing, derivatives and funding channels are seen as crucial to foreign banks' growth in China.

LONDON/ FRANKFURT, Nov 2- European banks will dominate the group of lenders required to hold extra capital to protect the global financial system, despite moves to shrink their businesses in response to the region's debt crisis. Eight are from the United States, and four are from Asia.

*AngloGold Ashanti suspends operations at S. African mine. Spot gold was at $1,709.26 at 1102 GMT, down 0.63 percent, while U.S. gold futures for December fell $5.80 to $1,709.70. ``The stronger dollar is bringing down a number of markets including gold,'' Standard Chartered analyst Daniel Smith said.

WASHINGTON, Nov 1- Standard Chartered is close to wrapping up discussions to resolve U.S. investigations into its Iran- linked transactions and nearing agreement on a fine in the $300- million range, mirroring a much-publicized state settlement over similar allegations, according to four people familiar with the matter.

LONDON, Nov 1- Banks will have to hold more capital after recent hefty fines, trading losses, money laundering and rate-rigging showed that operational risks are not being covered properly. U.S. energy regulators this week proposed fining the bank $470 million for alleged rigging of California's power markets.

LONDON, Oct 31- Flagging growth prospects for the euro zone's biggest economies will prompt the European Central Bank to ease monetary policy more early next year, according to a slim majority of economists polled by Reuters.

*U.S. stocks higher as Wall Street reopens after 2- day closure. LONDON, Oct 31- World shares and the euro edged up on Wednesday as a storm-hit Wall Street began trading after its two-day closure and investors looked ahead to economic data later in the week.

LONDON, Oct 31- World shares and the euro edged up on Wednesday as investors braced for a storm-hit Wall Street to reopen after its two-day closure and looked ahead to economic data later in the week. Equity futures are higher, so people are expecting a positive opening,'' said Arne Lohmann Rasmussen, head of currency research at Danske Bank in Copenhagen.

LONDON, Oct 30- Copper rose on Tuesday, rebounding from a near 2- month low hit in the previous session, supported by a weak dollar and some cautious industrial buying, but concerns about sluggish demand from top consumer China capped further gains.

LONDON, Oct 30- Copper edged up on Tuesday from a near 2- month low hit the previous session, helped by a weaker dollar and as lower prices encouraged some cautious industrial buying, but concerns about soft demand from top consumer China capped gains.

*StanChart shares down 0.6 pct in London. HONG KONG/ LONDON, Oct 30- Standard Chartered said it was aiming for a wider year-end settlement with U.S. authorities investigating its Iran- linked transactions.

HONG KONG, Oct 30- Hong Kong shares sank to their lowest in almost two weeks on Tuesday, with most local developers slipping further in the wake of fresh curbs on real estate purchases in the territory. Investors also took profits on Chinese banks, recent outperformers after strong third-quarter earnings from three of China's ``Big Four'' banks.

*MSCI Asia ex- Japan inches up 0.1 pct. TOKYO, Oct 30- Asian shares rose modestly but momentum was curbed by a giant, powerful storm that will keep U.S. markets shut, while the dollar slid to an intraday low against the yen after the Bank of Japan unveiled further easing steps.